I am in the research phase of upgrading my DAC. When I demoed my new headphones (Grado SR325i), I took my equipment to the audio dealer and we were unable to get my DAC to work with his system. His laptop would not recognize it. So anyways...I ended up using his DAC with my amp and demoed a bunch of headphones eventually deciding on the Grados. Anyways...I get home and of course things don't sound the same as they did at the audio place. While things sound really good, there they were great. I can't put my finger on what the difference was, I just know it was different, and better. So I am going to go back later this month or sometime next month and we are going to ensure that my DAC will work this time so I can A/B against a couple of his DAC offerings. But in the meaning time...I was wondering, if anyone has had the DA-151 and upgraded, what did you go with and what are your impressions? Also, if anyone wants to chime in with recommendations...I am all ears. My current system is:
Foobar2000>FLAC (WASAPI)>KECES DA-151>Little Dot 1+>Grado SR325i
His system as demoed:
Oppo CD player (unsure of model, lower end one though)>Citypulse 2.03e II>Little Dot 1+>Grado SR325i
The other DAC he will have available when I go back is the DECWARE ZDAC-1.
So, I guess what I am looking for are recommendations for a DAC upgrade in the $500-650 range so that I can start doing some research. Thanks.
